Well, forget radio. That's no help at all. I do love radio, and I almost always have one on. Right now, as I type, I've got Q107 in the background. And I listen to all the stations I have listed above. But you won't find a lot of new, adult oriented music on those stations. Surprisingly though, you may actually hear some Michael Buble, even on the hit stations.
So, Michael Buble is the first one we'll mention. He sings songs from the "Great American Songbook", which means, as near as I can tell, the same songs that Frank Sinatra once sang. Songs written by Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, George & Ira Gershwin, Hoagy Carmichael, etc. But Michael, as well as other similar singers perform a lot more than that. They will also do original, new songs, and cover hit songs of the last few decades in their own style. And that is what hit radio is picking up on. Great, let's expose young people to other forms of music, which they may enjoy or even prefer. Matt Dusk is a similar performer, in age and style. He just put out an album featuring the songs of Chet Baker but he has many more which are very similar to Michael Buble's mix of oldies and new songs.
I especially love female singers, and I'd put Nikki Yanofsky and Emilie-Claire Barlow into the same category. Nikki is taking an agonizingly long time to put out her third album but, once she does, I'm sure it will be worth waiting for. Nikki has an incredible voice and, for a nineteen-year-old, she knows her stuff. She covers a lot of old jazz songs as well as rock songs. And she writes a lot of her own material too. Emilie-Claire Barlow's latest album is totally in French, even though she is a Toronto girl. It's still pretty good, even if you don't speak a word of French. Her previous album , The Beat Goes On, was all 60's hits, done in her easy-listening, light rock/jazz style.
Susie Arioli sings the same kind of songs, except her songs feature Jordan Officer, an electric guitar player, as prominently out there as she is. Makes her sound totally different, in a good way, from the others. And, while we're talking about different, I'll bring up Alex Pangman, who likes to do things old style. Her 2011 album, 33, is all songs from 1933 recorded when Alex was 33. Both artists have recorded many albums in the last decade or two, and are worth seeking out, even if you can only find them on iTunes.
Although all the above artists could easily be put in the Jazz section of your record store, don't let that scare you. All could just as easily be put into an adult-contemporary section, or a pop section, if such sections exist at the record store. Most have Rock, Jazz, R&B/Rap, and Classical, and that's about it. So you'll find lots of great stuff in the Jazz section, even if they have no business being there, it's sometimes the closest thing.
I guess I should mention old Rock stars that are still around, and still making music for an older generation. Rod Stewart is still out there, and doing the American songbook songs. As I don't care for Rod's voice, I'll let you discover that on your own if you like him. Paul McCartney put out an album last year, My Valentine, which includes some of his new songs, and some old ones. Now that's a great album, and worth the Grammy it received this year. Bryan Ferry put out a similar album in 1999, As Time Goes By, which you may enjoy. Last year he put out an instrumental album, The Jazz Age, which is quite an interesting project. He recorded his own, and Roxy Music songs, in a 1920s style. Which would be fine, well and good, except he made it sound like it was recorded in the 1920s. Mono is fine, I don't mind that, but they used an equalizer to take all the fidelity out of it. I can still listen to it, and enjoy it, but it ticks me off that it could sound great, and doesn't. It's fine if it WAS recorded in 1920, but it wasn't.
John Fogerty, from Creedence Clearwater Revival is still around, making great music, as is John (Cougar) Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen and Gordon Lightfoot. Their music still sounds pretty much the same as it always did. The only difference is that radio doesn't play much of them any more, except the old stuff. Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman, together and apart, still fit into this category. From the Guess Who and BTO these guys still do good work apart, and magic when they get back together occasionally. Brian Wilson, from the Beach Boys, recently redid his lost album from the 60s, Smile. I'm sure it would have sounded quite different in the 60s, but it's still good. He has also put out albums featuring the songs of Gershwin and Disney. With mixed results, in my humble opinion, but no denying the man is a musical genius.
If you watch Smash! on NBC/CTV Two, there is lots of great music there, most of which has been released on soundtrack albums. And two great singers who have also recorded their own CDs, Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty. Katharine had a couple of solo CDs in the 2000s, and Megan just released her first CD, It Happens All the Time. Buy it at Target, if you can, because you get two extra tracks. In a similar vein you'll find Glee, but I'll have to say it makes a better TV show than music. Lots and lots of auto-tune in all their songs so if that's a deal-breaker, stay away from Glee soundtracks.
Perusing the CDs I have purchased in the last few years I find Renee Olstead and Thisbe Vos, both Great American Songbook-type artists for the most part. Cowboy Junkies, I have listened to on and off since the Trinity Sessions in 1988. If you've never heard of them, you would think they're country but they're really not. More like Folk/Rock, but certainly with country influence. My wife loves Blue Rodeo, in the Country/Rock category. Rita Wilson (yes, Tom Hank's wife) put out an album of oldies last year. She has a pleasant voice.
There's Norah Jones, of course. Ravi Shankar's daughter, who sings mostly original songs in her Country/Jazz/Rock style, kind of like Linda Ronstadt at her most laid-back. She's put out five albums since her debut in 2002.
Broadway shows still put out soundtrack albums, and there's no auto-tune on those. Wicked is one of the more popular ones today, and there's Kristin Chenoweth, who appears on lots of other soundtrack albums and also puts out her own albums of new music. If you have another favourite Broadway musical, check for the soundtrack album.
How about the music that the kids listen to? Is there anything worth looking at there. Well, yes. Some of these people can sing, and don't need auto-tune. That doesn't mean they don't use it though, as they sometimes use it on purpose to get that sound. I don't know why they would want to sound that way, but I guess they grew up with it, and it sounds natural to them. Anyway, Ke$ha CAN sing, but she uses a lot of auto-tune. Artists who don't use too much (or possibly not at all?) include Pink!, Carly Rae Jepsen and Taylor Swift.
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| Carly Rae Jepsen |
If your tastes go towards Country there's probably a million bands and singers I haven't mentioned. and I'm sorry, I don't really know too many of the artists so you're on your own there. The only ones I know are the ones who also have hits on the Pop charts. I've already mentioned Taylor Swift, but there's also Lady Antebellum and lots of other country artists out there.
So I hope that's a little bit of help. I'll probably think of a dozen others as soon as I post this, and I'll put their names in the comment section if I do. And you too, dear reader, if you have a favourite singer or band that is still making new music that you think others might like, let us know.
Until next time,
Michael
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